The Winya Istar or The New Wizard
by Edhel En'Arvandor
Summary: Orcs comeback to the Shire, and after a long battle, the nearly-defeated hobbits are surprised... (very gory and mild swearing, only once so far!))
1. Pippin Saves the Day

Part 1: Calen-Istar  
  
Ch. 1  
  
"Merry! Where are you?"  
  
Peregrine Took looked desperately around while still fending off his attacker. He drove the blade of his sword deep into his opponent's throat, the ripped it out and continued to search for his lost friend.  
  
"Merry! Merry!" Just to be sure, he examined the bodies, using the soft blue light of his sword.  
  
"Pip!" came a voice from the ground. It was weary and filled with pain.  
  
"Merry?" Pippin looked around along the blood-soaked floor of the Shire. Finally the light came to rest on a face that both made his heart leap and drop at once.  
  
Meriadoc Brandybuck lay in the grass. Blood soaked his entire right leg and, though Pippin knew he had been injured badly there, there were three reasons he could do nothing. Firstly, he was squeamish and were he not overly worried would have run away. Second, the blood was so thick that he could not see to mend anything. Thirdly.  
  
"Pip. Pip!" Merry coughed. His eyes grew wide, staring not at his lifelong friend but past him.  
  
Pippin caught a glace of his reflection in Merry's eyes. He noticed something large moving behind him. larger than a man.  
  
Pip swung around and swung Sting up and around, beheading the Uruk-hai. He turned back to Merry and said, "I'm getting you to Rosie."  
  
Note: I'm not sure if my Elvish is all right, so let me know and I can fix it. He title is supposed to mean The New Wizard, and part one is the green wizard. Sorry for such a short chapter, the next one will be longer I promise! 


	2. In the Home of the Healer

Ch. 2  
  
"Rosie!" Pippin used his head to bang on the door. Merry had been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since the blood of the Uruk mingled with his. "Don't you die, Meriadoc Brandybuck! Rosie!"  
  
Rosie Gamgee opened her door, in a stained white dress, clearly not expecting such close friends to ask for her assistance.  
  
"Pippin!" she exclaimed. "What happened?" Pippin shared every detail. Rosie felt around along the area of the wound and on his chest. "His body's rejecting the Uruk blood, but his heart is taking it anyway," she said.  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"Bring him in here, lay him on my table. The beds are all taken and I need a hard surface."  
  
Pippin finally released his hold upon his friend. He knew that if Rosie asked for help, he'd be unable to. He was weak, from the battle and from holding Merry for such a stretch of time.  
  
Rosie had become overwhelmingly skilled in medicine. The need for a nurse had arisen, and she left the Green Dragon in a second, not just to help out, but because.  
  
"Sam?!"  
  
Pippin stared into the round doorway. Samwise Gamgee stood there with a hand around his middle. The hunched figure of the Shire's latest gardener- turned-adventurer took a step and collapsed.  
  
"Pippin, can you take Sam? I'm up to my shoulders in Merry now!"  
  
She wasn't lying either. Her arms were drenched. Pippin, fearing the worst, turned Sam on his back and removed his hand.  
  
A small dagger hilt protruded from the gut of another dear friend of Pippin's. He slowly removed it, and just as he did so, Sam grabbed his hand, startling him.  
  
"Pip, what are you doing?" he choked.  
  
"Saving you, if it's all the same!" Pip said, taken aback.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm just tired!" Sam yelled and tried to sit up.  
  
"No you aren't, Sam! You've been stabbed and you're losing blood fast!"  
  
"Pippin!"  
  
He spun at the sound of his name and ran to Rosie to find what it was she wanted. He heard Sam getting up, but he was so intent on news of Merry's condition that it didn't even register.  
  
"Merry will be fine. I was able to get all of the Uruk-hai's blood out. Now, he'll be weak for a while, and he'll need to rest, but he'll be back on his feet. Oh, and no more battles for this one!"  
  
Pippin knew how devastated Merry would be that he could no longer fight, but at the moment, he was just relieved that he would live.  
  
"Rosie." grunted a person behind Pip. "I'm hurt."  
  
And Sam fell to the ground. 


	3. What happened Or was it?

Ch. 3  
  
"Will they be okay?"  
  
"I don't know, Pippin," Rosie sighed. She knew what would happen, but she could not help it: she glanced at her husband, and began to cry.  
  
"Rosie." Pippin walked over and held her up, soothing her- and himself.  
  
Recent weeks had been terrible. Orcs ran freely over the Shire. Pippin still had nightmares.  
  
"Rosie, we both need some sleep," he said.  
  
"You go. I need to do some more to help Sam."  
  
"What about-"  
  
"Merry, too."  
  
Pippin wandered throughout the hobbit-hole, looking for a free bed. When he found one, it was in Sam and Rosie's room. Just being in there made his heart heavy, and added to the weight of his body atop his feet, he toppled over into the bed.  
  
A door opened at Merry and Pippin's house. It was large, so both could live comfortably in separate ends of the house. "Pippin, Merry!"  
  
Pippin looked up. "Well, hello, Sam!" He and Merry had been at their pipes. After their adventure among the Fellowship, all three had been spoiled in riches, mostly from Elvish gifts.  
  
"Pip, shut up! Something's wrong." Merry was louder than he would have normally been while whispering, but he was full of pipe essence.  
  
"Merry, Pip, the Orcs are back."  
  
"Sam, quit pulling our legs. We were there when the Orcs and the Uruk-hais were destroyed, remember?" Merry roared.  
  
"They're back" There was no joke in Sam's voice or face.  
  
Pippin and Merry sobered up in a "Minas Tirith second." They rose and went for the storage cabinet. Pippin grabbed Sting, a sword that once belonged to old Bilbo Baggins, and was then passed on to Frodo Baggins. Merry grabbed Elven daggers given to them by Lady Galadriel. Pippin allowed Merry to carry his, since he could handle only Sting.  
  
They rushed out to the edge of the Shire and looked out into the mountains. A low, dark fog sped along the ground.  
  
"Ready for another adventure, Pip?" Merry asked, looking at Pippin out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Hobbit men and boys ran to the line of battle, following Merry and Pippin, roused by Sam.  
  
The dark mass closed in. It was a hundred feet away. fifty. twenty. ten.  
  
Then it exploded into a great, burning eye. 


	4. Confunded Hobbitses!

Ch. 4  
  
Pippin shot awake. For a moment he wondered where he was, and then he remembered. As usual, he'd had his ritual dream that now haunted him, and wished it were just that.  
  
"Oh, Merry! Sam!" he moaned into his knees, now in a sitting position.  
  
He rose and walked into the open room. The thirty or so beds that had been occupied by the wounded were not only empty, but gone. Rosie sat around a table with Sam and Merry, all sipping ale, yet looking very somber.  
  
"What's this?" he said, startling all of them.  
  
"Pip! You're all better!" Merry ran and hugged his friend.  
  
"Merry, have you been at the pipe? You and Sam were hurt in battle against the Uruk-Hai!"  
  
"Is it the medicine, Rosie?" Sam asked, perplexed.  
  
"Probably, that's the only way to explain it."  
  
"HANG ON!" Pippin shouted. Everyone quieted down and looked at him, frightened. "What's going on?"  
  
"I would like to answer that, Gamgees and Brandybuck," requested a familiar voice behind the confused hobbit. Pippin's eyes lit up and he smiled as he turned to see his old wizarding friend, Ga.  
  
Saruman!?  
  
Note: Another short chapter, but that's 4 in 1 day! More soon, I hope you enjoy! 


	5. A tiny surprise

Ch. 5  
  
The white was now completely gone from Saruman's beard. He took a step toward Pippin, lowering his staff and beginning a spell. Pippin felt his chest swell as he began to rise from the ground, not by force, but as if he suddenly weighed less than air.  
  
He rose straight up, as if there were no ceiling, straight into the sky. He continued to look down, and he noticed a change, small at first, but growing in his friends. At first he thought he was imagining their growth. Then they began to turn dark, with leathery skin and distorted faces, not orc-like but-  
  
"Uruk-hai!" he gasped.  
  
The moment this realization hit him, he felt his weight return to his body and he plummeted back down into the hobbit-hole, which was now inhabited by a great, burning eye---  
  
You cannot escape me, Peregrine Took! The great burning thing warned as it enveloped him.  
  
Pippin struggled to escape the fire. Rather than burning hot, however, it burned cold. Pippin slowly began to cease movement until he stopped. The only thing he could move was his eyes.  
  
The Uruk-hais closed in on him. They spoke to each other, but Pippin could not hear. He waited moment, wondering what would happen. It was a moment before he realized the flames were growing warm---too warm--- 


	6. Awake at last

Ch. 6  
  
Pippin screamed and rocketed out of bed. Another dream, he thought, another dream.  
  
He walked out of the room and nearly stepped on a young hobbit lying on the floor because he could not find a bed. Pippin knew the boy: it was Rosie's nephew, Erid.  
  
"Erid," he whispered. "Erid, there is a bed in here. Come." He led the hobbit into Sam and Rosie's room. As they walked, Pippin noticed the wound that brought him to this house. His neck had been cut, plainly by a dull blade, so there was a large bruise and a shallow cut. He limped and his left eye did not move along with the right. Erid thanked Pippin for his kindness, and fell immediately into a deep sleep. Pippin turned and left the room, avoiding the bed that had doubled in number and now left even less walking space.  
  
"Pip!" a voice cried from a bed.  
  
"Merry!" Pippin cried. He kneeled down and embraced his friend. The two of them cried and stayed together for a while before another hoarse voice beckoned them.  
  
"Merry, Pippin!"  
  
"Sam!" Pippin cried. Rosie had been kind enough to put Sam and Merry near each other so that they could speak to each other. The trio began to cry and laugh and talk to each other. Hard times had come and were still on their way, but a moment of peace was exactly what they needed.  
  
"Pip." Sam said. "Pip.he's here." Sam began to smile before he fell back to sleep.  
  
"Who's here, Merry?" Pippin said, beginning to worry.  
  
"The white wizard," he said, smiling. "Gandalf is here." 


	7. 3 Visitors

Ch. 7  
  
"Gandalf?" he echoed, in a state of shock. Now that this was reality and not a dream, he couldn't believe it. Gandalf had sailed into Valinor, into the undying lands. Why would he forfeit a blissful eternity to return to the Shire in the midst of war?  
  
Pippin looked down at Merry after what only felt like a moment, but must have been several, because Merry was in a deep sleep. Pippin stood quietly, not wanting to wake the others. He made his way into the dining room, weaving his way in an out of beds and moaning hobbits.  
  
When he looked at the table, he saw not Rosie sitting with a tall figure, but Rosie sitting with a small figure and two tall ones. Confused, he approached.  
  
"Rosie?"  
  
All but one of the beings at the table jumped, one of the tall ones, with long deep brown hair down his back. Rosie hadn't seen him, and the others had their backs turned.  
  
All three mysterious people rose and turned. The one who hadn't flinched, Pippin had guessed, was an elf: Elrond, who had never looked very highly upon him, save for when he'd insisted on joining the Fellowship, now looked at him with respect you'd expect one to show a king.  
  
The second large figure, of course, was unmistakably Gandalf. Not only would Merry and Sam not lie to him, especially about that, but the white cloak, staff, and long white hair were a dead giveaway. Gandalf had never taken a great liking to Pippin, always shouting at him, but he now looked upon the hobbit with appraisal fit for a war hero.  
  
The small figure now caught his gaze by taking a step forward before checking itself. The small person stood enveloped in shadow, out of Pippin's sight. Gandalf leaned down to tell it something, and Pippin heard Go on.  
  
Pippin said, "Please, come out." He was eager and a bit worried about who was so hidden. The small figure shook its shoulders as if preparing itself and stepped forward. 


	8. The mysterious halfling reveals himself

Ch. 8  
  
The light hit his red beard at just the right angle to draw sufficient attention to it. The whole figure stepped forward, and Pippin recognized his old companion in an instant.  
  
Gimli!  
  
Pippin was excited, but at the same time disappointed. He'd been hoping Frodo was the short person. At the moment however, he was too stunned to do much other than stare.  
  
Gandalf cleared his throat and began to speak. "Peregrine Took! Rosie got word to us that you saved both of your friend's lives." Pippin tried to interrupt to ask how, but Gandalf continued. "Being the white wizard, I had to only run this information by one other, but his name and location are secret, for permission to do what I am about to.  
  
"I searched a few forests within the borders of Valinor during the past week to find what I was looking for. Once I had, I asked Elrond to accompany me to relay some information to you. Gimli heard, of course, and insisted on tagging along. So I wish to present to you-"  
  
"Gandalf, have you forgotten me?" said a voice from behind Pippin.  
  
Pippin was floored. The voice--- it couldn't have been. Afraid to turn around he closed his eyes, hoping upon hope it wasn't a dream, and that this person would not become anything evil. He breathed deeply and turned around. He opened his eyes.  
  
There was no one there. 


	9. Another dream?

Ch. 9  
  
"Eh?" Pippin said, even more confused. He thought he just might cry. Why would the universe be so cruel to him? Tricking him and giving him nightmares, oh, the nightmares, which he could not escape. What had he ever done?  
  
Bracing himself, he turned to face the group behind him, the only thought in his mind being that the eye would be there, or an orc, or an Uruk-hai, or something even more terrible. What met his eyes sent him flying backwards in surprise onto a bed, which had luckily been empty at the time.  
  
"Pippin, what was that?" asked Frodo Baggins, laughing so hard he nearly fell over himself.  
  
Pippin could only stare. Frodo was here! He hadn't imagined it, it wasn't another dream. His mind was running in slow motion and fast forward at once. Frodo's here, kept running through his mind, and was all he could focus on.  
  
"Pippin, are you okay?" Frodo asked, the worry showing in his eyes.  
  
"He's fine, Frodo," said Gandalf. "He's just surprised."  
  
"Mr. Took, you must come back to us now," Elrond calmly ordered, and Pippin instantly regained his composure. "Gandalf has something he wishes to say."  
  
"Yes, I was!" said Gandalf, surprised because in the excitement of the moment, he'd forgotten. "As I was saying, we traveled all the way here from Valinor, and Gimli, well, I don't quite know where Gimli traveled from, only that as we reached the Shire, there he was. And so---"  
  
"Frodo, you're here!" Pippin screamed, flinging himself upon the hobbit, only just realizing that Frodo was here.  
  
"Eh-Hem!" coughed Gandalf.  
  
"Right, sorry," Pippin muttered, abashed.  
  
"And so, I present to you, Peregrine Took, of the Shire, this!" Gandalf cried as he pulled out a green wizard's staff---  
  
A green wizard's staff made for someone of hobbit-size, which he handed to Pippin. 


	10. Pippin in shock

Ch. 10  
  
Pippin blinked. "Frodo, am I giving this to you? Are you becoming a wizard?"  
  
Frodo laughed and said, "No, Pippin!"  
  
"Rosie?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"Pippin!" Frodo and Rosie screamed, at the same time Gandalf thundered, "Peregrine Took!" and Elrond said, "Mr. Took."  
  
"What?" he said, a bit confused. It couldn't be him. No one, not even one who wished to destroy the earth, would give Pippin power. He could ruin anything!  
  
"Peregrine Took, I present to you, your staff, Green Wizard," Gandalf finally managed  
  
"Eh?" Pippin said.  
  
"Peregrine Took, you are as thick as they come! You have been made a wizard! The first Hobbit-Wizard. You will start off Green, and if you don't die or destroy the earth out of ignorance, you will be Brown, someday." As an afterthought, he added, in an undertone, "What have I done?"  
  
"This is it, Pip, Lady Galadriel said you would find your courage. No one ever thought it would be like this," Frodo said, resting his hand on Pippin's shoulder, startling him.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Pippin said very suddenly. Everyone stared. "If I am, in fact, going to be a- a wizard- what kind of things will I be able to do?"  
  
Gandalf smiled. "Follow me," he said, and began to walk toward the beds. 


	11. Pippin's Power

Ch. 11  
  
Note: sorry about the delay, my dreams stopped and so I had to wait for a good dream to occur before I could write.  
  
Gandalf stood between two hobbits sleeping on their beds. He looked at Pippin and said, "You cannot do much at the stage of Green Wizard, but you can help your friends." Gandalf tore back the blankets to reveal a sleeping Merry and a sleeping Sam.  
  
"I can't-heal them, can I?" Pippin asked, getting a bit excited.  
  
"No. You can however make their pain less. Rosie did not know it, and they don't show it, but they are struggling with life, and the burning pain makes it all the more difficult."  
  
Pippin began to cry silently, tears pouring down his face. "Will it help? At all?"  
  
"Yes. The ability to overcome the pain will give them hope of beating death."  
  
"Then I'll do it," Pippin resolved.  
  
"I knew you would. There is something, however---"  
  
"What is it?" Pippin asked, abruptly ending his mute sobs, worried.  
  
Gandalf reached down and placed his hand on Pippin's shoulder. "You will be incapacitated for a while. Two days for each person relieved, in fact. But, Pippin, I think you can handle it." Gandalf was now smiling, showing his trust in the hobbit.  
  
"What do I have to do?" Pippin stared down at his friends, wondering if, even with his help, they would make it.  
  
"Repeat after me: Naikelea, Tamp lle'cronhien, lembien Tel'perrianath!"  
  
"Nay-kee-lee-ah! Tohmp zhay-crohn-yin! Lem-been Tell-purr-ee-nath!"  
  
"No!" Gandalf barked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If you pronounce a spell wrong there's no telling what could happen!"  
  
BANG! 


	12. Gandalf angry

Ch. 12  
  
Pippin and Gandalf turned sharply towards the door at the noise. Pippin turned to ask Gandalf a question, but the white wizard clapped his hand over the hobbit-wizard's mouth.  
  
"Fool of a Took!" he whispered. "Whatever makes that noise will not be dealt with by me, I tell you that much." Gandalf's eyes, which had been so friendly moments before, were now clouded with rage.  
  
Pippin began to shake and looked up at Gandalf. "But, Gandalf, I can't face anything monstrous or anything!"  
  
"You have and you will. What do you call Orcs? Uruk-hai? Trolls?"  
  
Pippin squeaked, a noise very unbecoming of him.  
  
Gandalf sighed. "Pippin, you must face this. Whatever it may be."  
  
Pippin puffed out his chest, looked up at Gandalf, and nodded. Then he stepped around the corner of the hall, where he saw into the kitchen. Rosie, Frodo, and Gimli were hiding. Elrond stood in the open, not caring nor being frightened about what may happen next.  
  
Pippin grabbed Sting from next to the door. The sword was plain- no blue light. No Orcs, no Uruk-hai. Wondering what could be banging on the door made his heart hammer, and he slowly reached for the knob. He turned it--- turned it---  
  
Note: Sorry for such short chapters, but cliffies keep you coming back! Please review! 


	13. What awaits?

Ch. 13  
  
"Pippin?"  
  
"Bilbo--- Baggins?" Pippin was staring, awestruck. Bilbo did not look like when they escorted him to the harbor. Rather, he looked much like he did before he left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday. But how---?  
  
"Bilbo?" whimpered a voice behind Pippin. "Uncle?"  
  
"Frodo, my dear boy!" said Bilbo, his eyes filled with tears. He stepped past Pippin and opened his arms.  
  
Pippin looked to see Frodo's reaction. He must be thrilled, Bilbo being here, young again. What a wonderful reunion! I guess this spell wasn't so bad, I brought Bilbo here and helped him regain his youth.  
  
Frodo was less than enthused. Rather, he was terrified and puzzled. He made a strange motion toward Pippin, grabbing at air, not taking his eyes off of his renewed uncle in the doorway. "Pippin, give me Sting!"  
  
"Frodo, you would use my old sword against me?" Bilbo asked, a strange glint in his eye.  
  
"You're not Bilbo. You can't be. You---you---"  
  
"I what?"  
  
"You died, Bilbo Baggins," said Gandalf, stepping out of the shadowed hall. "On the ship to Valinor, two years ago, yesterday---if that is indeed who you are." 


	14. Bilbo or not Bilbo? That IS the question...

Ch. 14  
  
"Gandalf, it is me," pleaded 'Bilbo.'  
  
Pippin looked around at everyone's expressions. Frodo was angry, probably because he thought there was no way this could possibly be Bilbo. After all, he had been at his uncle's side at the time of his death, a wound that had clearly not healed.  
  
Rosie was confused. Her brows furrowed and she frowned, not knowing what to believe. Elrond looked amused at the scene, as if he knew something that the others did not.  
  
Because he does! Pippin thought. Lord Elrond has the gift of foresight!  
  
Gandalf looked a bit worried, but after a glance at Elrond, his expression went back to the soft, friendly face he'd shown Pippin earlier. Gimli slowly moved his hand to his belt and put a tight grip on his ax.  
  
With the diversity of opinion throughout the room, Pippin was confused as to what to believe. If Bilbo had died, then how could he be here? A wizard cannot raise the dead, especially not a Green Wizard---can they?  
  
"Bilbo, old friend," said Gandalf. "Come on, there's some Old Toby in the other room---"  
  
"You're going to smoke?" screamed Pippin. "Sam and Merry are dying, there's a war going on for the Shire, and you're going to smoke? What happened to the Gandalf I knew who would have cursed me for even thinking of doing such a thing? What happened to the Gandalf I knew who'd have destroyed as many orcs as he could, rather than sit here, having tea? What happened---" Pippin paused. "What happened---" He stopped, breathing hard, to angry to continue.  
  
Gandalf stared at Pippin for what felt like an eternity. Had he not been so infuriated, Pippin would have been terrified of the wrath that may have ensued. Panting, Pippin turned and left the room, stomping along the corridor, waking many of the injured.  
  
Behind him, as he sat next to his friends, he head Gandalf say, "How about that pipe, Bilbo?" 


	15. A Hobbit Awake

Ch. 15  
  
Pippin lay on the floor between the beds currently occupied by Sam and Merry when he heard rustling. Sitting up sharply, he looked over the edge of the bed, hoping that the sleeping hobbit would be awake.  
  
"Pip?" asked Merry, in a tired, but not pain-filled voice. "What happened?"  
  
"Merry," Pippin choked, beginning to cry. He had not spoken to his friend in three days: the amount of time he'd lain between the beds, save for fetching snacks while no one was looking. "Merry---" he tried to continue, but he was gone, beyond control, sobbing onto the bed, holding Merry's hand. Merry could take it no longer either, and the two friends lay there crying.  
  
Unknown to Pippin, Gandalf stood at the entrance to the hall, watching and listening to the interaction. Bilbo stood beside him, nearly in tears himself. Gandalf's eyes glistened. As he tried to smile, the dew on his eyelashes began to fall.  
  
"Gandalf," said Bilbo, "I think it's time we had a talk with Pippin."  
  
"So do I. But not now, let them have their moment."  
  
Pippin finally stopped crying long enough to start to tell Merry of recent happenings. Merry did not remember anything after the battle began, meaning he did not remember falling, or the Uruk-hai that nearly killed him by dying. Nor did he remember that Gandalf was here, and he was unsure of whether he ever knew that everyone else was, or as close to 'everyone' as they came at the moment.  
  
"Merry---you were hurt."  
  
"Hurt?" Merry asked, astonished. "How bad?"  
  
"Pretty bad, and Gandalf says it was near fatal, so I'm confu---"  
  
"Gandalf?" Merry asked, bolting into a sitting position. "Pip, are you okay? Maybe I'm not the one having the problem with memory---"  
  
"He's here, Merry, alright? Not that I'm talking to him, he told me you might die and then he invited Bilbo to go smoking, and---"  
  
"Alright, Pip," said Merry, very slowly, soothingly. "Bilbo and Gandalf both sailed to the undying lands, remember?" His voice cracked a bit. "Now, let's get you to your bed and--- um, Pip?" he was looking around at their surroundings.  
  
"Yes, Merry?" said Pippin, beginning to smirk. He had a pretty good idea of the questions to follow.  
  
"Why are we at Sam's? And, er, shouldn't Sam be in his own bed, rather than here in the hall? And why do you not have a bed and I do? And---" he paused to adjust his position and yelped as he twisted his hurt leg wrong. "And why are you right?" Merry had admitted defeat  
  
"Told you." 


	16. Another Visitor

Ch. 16  
  
Merry and Pippin staggered out into the kitchen. Merry, who'd not had a meal in 10 days, was famished, and Pippin was ready to confront Gandalf.  
  
To say that the sight that greeted them was happy would be a tremendous understatement. Gandalf stood sharply from his seat, where he'd been smoking and drinking. Rosie screamed, waking many. Elrond, who had probably never before been surprised, was floored. Frodo looked as though he wanted to rush forward, but checked himself. Gimli stared for a moment, then glanced into the corner. Pippin tried to follow his gaze, but along the way, his eyes met those of Bilbo, who stood in the center of the room, touching nothing. Pippin continued to look towards the corner, where his eyes met yet another old companion.  
  
Pippin gaped for a moment as his lips tried to form the name. "Legolas," he sputtered, before he remembered that Legolas was royalty, and bowed, something Merry had already accomplished.  
  
"Hello, Pippin, Merry," said Legolas, smiling.  
  
Merry was dumbstruck. "Frodo? Gimli? Lord Elrond? Legolas? And---and Bilbo." He said, dully. Then he whispered, "Pippin, you said Gandalf was here. You couldn't have at least prepared me for everyone else?"  
  
"Well, I forgot, trying to get you to believe me. And Legolas wasn't here before."  
  
"Well, actually I was," Legolas interjected. "Just not in this house. Aragorn and I have been fighting the orcs. They do not stop coming."  
  
A moment of silence ensued before Pippin remembered what he needed to do. "Gandalf, a word, please?"  
  
"Of course," he agreed, smiling.  
  
The two of them departed from the room and stepped outside onto a cloaked yard.  
  
"Gandalf---"  
  
"It's quite all right, Pippin," Gandalf said. "You were concerned for your friends, a very noble quality."  
  
"Gandalf, I do have a few questions."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why am I a wizard, and not Sam? Or Merry? Frodo even?"  
  
"I knew you would ask this," sighed the Mithrandir. "Do you remember---?" 


	17. A story and 2 pipes

Ch. 17  
  
"Tell me again why you're the green--- hobbit----wizard?" asked Merry, taking a deep breath through his pipe.  
  
"All right, but this is the last time:  
  
We were in Edoras, and there was the orby ball thing, the Palantir, remember? And I stole it, and it, how would you put it? Possessed me? Attacked me? Something. And when it did that, it opened a part of my mind that only wizards use--- or something like that, I couldn't really understand what Gandalf said. But I now use a part of my mind that no hobbit has ever been able to before. So, I guess that's why."  
  
Pippin inhaled deeply on his pipe. "Longbottom Leaf. Never thought we'd be able to afford this, did you, Merry?"  
  
"Nope. Not at all, Pip. Good thing we stockpiled it. I wouldn't fancy trying to buy any now." Merry distorted his face and said in a mocking tone, "Mr. Orc, I was just wondering if you had any Longbottom Leaf availa- ARGH!" At which he fell to the ground, clutching his throat, then doubled over laughing.  
  
The two hobbits sat there for a long time after that, not talking, just smoking. When Pippin's pipe ran out, he looked over at Merry's. "Well, since we're both about done, let's go inside, shall we? We haven't been very hospitable." Pippin had much difficulty saying that last word.  
  
"Sam---" said Merry.  
  
Pippin felt awful. He'd been so relieved over Merry's awakening that he'd forgotten Sam was still on death's doorstep. He knew how Rosie must feel. He'd felt the same way when Gandalf had asked Bilbo to go smoke. Angry, confused, disappointed---  
  
"Come on, Merry," said Pippin, attempting to smile. "We have somewhere to be."  
  
The two of them linked arms and walked inside.  
  
In the kitchen, they stood at the entrance---  
  
And wondered where everyone had gone. 


	18. Samwise the Ill

Ch. 18  
  
"Merry?"  
  
"Yeah, Pip?"  
  
"I'm not just imagining this, am I? I mean, we are alone, right?"  
  
"We are, Pip."  
  
Neither hobbit had any clue about what was going on. They'd stepped outside for a half of an hour, and everyone disappeared. Pippin kept thinking, Not again! Merry was just confused.  
  
"Pippin, Merry!" a voice whispered urgently. Gimli was ushering the two of them into the hall. They followed wondering why they were going there. What they saw nearly made them faint.  
  
Everyone was gathered around a bed. Pippin did not even have time to remember who occupied it before he saw Rosie weeping into the sheets.  
  
"No." Pippin whispered. Forgetting that there were sleeping hobbits all around, he screamed, "No, Sam, no! No! No!"  
  
Gandalf rushed over to calm Pippin. Slightly angry, he whispered, "He is not dead. There is, however, very little hope of life left for him."  
  
"Can I help him now?" asked Pippin. He'd never learned the spell to save his friends.  
  
Wait, though, thought Pippin. How did Merry get well?  
  
"Yes you can, Pippin." Gandalf interrupted his thoughts. "But you must repeat the words exactly as I give them to you. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Repeat after me: Naikelea, Tamp lle'cronhien, Lembien Tel'perrianath."  
  
Pippin felt something stir within him, as if he were suddenly not the one doing the speaking, but some strange, foreign being inside him.  
  
"Naikelea, Tamp lle'cronhien, Lembien Tel'perrianath!" The voice that came from his lips was different, as well, deeper, rougher.  
  
Pippin relaxed, and he was again in control. Looking over at Sam, he wondered if he'd done any help, or if he'd die anyway. Pippin began to sing a song of woe:  
  
Along the road our friend did go.  
With always many miles to go.  
Until he reached the end.  
We shall not, we will not send  
Him to the other side.  
Come back.  
Don't fade from our sight  
Our friend. 


	19. Innocent until Proven Guilty

Ch. 19  
  
Rosie had stopped crying, now beyond tears, even. Legolas had been singing a similar lament in Elvish. Gandalf had his head bowed, and had Pippin not seen the tear fall from under the hood, he may have mistaken him for asleep.  
  
Aragorn stood back from the group, smiling the grin of a man afraid to display his emotion. Elrond had his hands folded in front of him, and he was staring at the floor. Merry stood away from the group, unsure of how to show his feelings. Frodo was sobbing, not making a noise. Gandalf put his arm around the shaking Hobbit. Gimli made a noise somewhere along the lines of a whimper, and covered it with a sniff.  
  
"Well, I think we should give Sam and Rosie some peace," said Gandalf. "Come on, out, all of you."  
  
Once outside of the hall, Aragorn bowed his head and left, reaching for his sword next to the door. Legolas tapped Gimli, and they grabbed their weapons and followed the king of Gondor.  
  
Pippin pulled Gandalf aside. Once out of earshot of anyone, he asked, "Why did Merry get better, when Sam only got worse? When I did the spell wrong, I made Merry better, and now Bilbo's alive again, but Sam---"  
  
"No, Pippin."  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"Bilbo is not alive."  
  
"Gandalf, I may have been smoking, but I haven't lost my mind, and I saw him."  
  
"No." Gandalf looked rather pained. "What you see is Bilbo--- in a sense." Gandalf paused, considering his words, then continued very quickly. "When you performed the spell wrong, you took the life out of Sam and it entered Merry and Bilbo's spirit."  
  
It took a moment for this statement to sink in due to the speed at which it was said. He felt, however, as though he were missing something. The thought was shaken from his mind in a second.  
  
"Bilbo's a ghost?"  
  
"No," snapped Gandalf. "Well, not really. He was on a higher plane before the spell. A ghost never gets to the higher plane."  
  
"So, he can't touch anything. He's just--- there."  
  
"Yes." Gandalf now had a veil of pain behind his eyes. Neither spoke for a moment. Pippin could imagine how he felt. While he'd thought Merry might die, he was so upset. Not only was Merry Pippin's drinking and smoking partner, but the hobbits were best friends. Gandalf and Bilbo's relationship was along those lines.  
  
Pippin cast around for a subject change to ease the hurt in the old wizard. In the process, he realized they were not done with the current subject. He realized what he'd missed.  
  
"Gandalf---" Pippin's voice quivered and he felt like he may cry.  
  
The anguish vanished at once from Gandalf's face. It was readily replaced by a steadying grimace. He knew what Pippin had come upon.  
  
"I--- I took the life out of Sam." Pippin was dizzy, now that the realization had hit him full on. "If he dies, it's my fault. I killed my friend, I killed Sam, I--- I'm a murderer." 


	20. Just so i dont have to explain it later

Ch. 20  
  
Gandalf sighed. So, thought Pippin, angrily. He did know. He didn't want me to.  
  
"Pippin," said Gandalf, choosing his words carefully. "I will not lie to you. Sam may die. I hope that he will not as much as anyone, but I cannot help it if he does. In any case, if he does, you are not a murderer, do you understand me?" Gandalf was looked deeply and concernedly into Pippin's eyes.  
  
Pippin, who'd been crying throughout Gandalf's small speech, wiped his eyes and looked up at the wise old wizard. "But I did it, Gandalf," he whispered. "I made Sam."  
  
"It was an accident. An unfortunate, careless one, yes, but you meant no harm by it."  
  
"Gandalf! It was me! I killed him!" Pippin was sobbing and flinging himself at Gandalf for support. "It was me! Me! All my fault!"  
  
The people in the kitchen heard (as well as everyone else from within Bag- End) the racket he was making and the ones well enough to walk, the ones in the kitchen, came running.  
  
Elrond was the first to enter. Surveying the scene, he immediately rushed forward, calling for aid. Next, Frodo entered the scene. Only seeing Pippin screaming flinging himself onto Gandalf and Elrond attempting to pull the two apart, he immediately assumed the worst. Within seconds, Frodo was upon Pippin as well. Frodo grabbed Pippin around the waist and lifted him away from Gandalf. Elrond followed their path and coaxed Pippin into a deep sleep.  
  
Gandalf looked around. Frodo and Elrond started towards Gandalf to be sure he was okay. Rosie stood in the doorway with Merry, the two of them just staring.  
  
"Why did he do that?" asked Merry, slowly stepping forward. "He's never attacked anyone he's been friends with before."  
  
"Attack?" said Gandalf, taken aback. "Is that why you charged at him? He was upset, and was trying to use me for support."  
  
Everyone looked around at each other. As a group, they all bowed their heads and said, "Oh." 


	21. Message from Beyond

Ch. 21  
  
Pippin groaned. He rolled over on the bed he was lying on. He opened his eyes to meet a blurry scene. A few blinks brought a clearer image. He was lying in the hall, in the bed previously occupied by Merry. He stared across at Sam, who had not moved from the position he'd been in. Rosie lay across Sam's lap, asleep.  
  
Pippin made to get up, but found his arms were too heavy to even move. Trying to move any part of his body, he found he was unable. Still in a stupor, he fell back asleep.  
  
Bag End. Pippin looks around. He loves coming here. Bilbo tells the wildest tales. They make him laugh. Frodo welcomes him in. Frodo, although sixteen years older, treats Pippin as an equal. Pippin notices his friend Merry already there. Merry is taller, mainly because he's older, though not as old as Frodo.  
  
Pippin and Merry enter the study to find a group sitting around Bilbo. Bilbo is finishing a story. ".And the Eagles came and lifted us all high into the air."  
  
The children cheer. Frodo stands in the doorway chuckling. Merry and Pippin rush forward as the other children file out. "Bilbo," says Pippin, "Tell me the one about the trolls, Bilbo, please!" Pippin is alight with the energy that all small hobbit children seem to emanate.  
  
"Of course, little Took! Peregrin, am I not right?"  
  
"It's Pippin, Bilbo!" Pippin cried, hysterical. One of Bilbo's jokes is to pretend as though he does not know them well, even if he is aware of their every secret.  
  
"Pippin." began Bilbo, suddenly serious. "Sam will die."  
  
"What?" asked Pippin. He was only vaguely familiar with Gaffer Gamgee's son Samwise, the only boy in the Shire known as Sam.  
  
"He will die unless you help him. No one can help him now but you. You must choose, Pippin."  
  
"Choose what?" Pippin was now perplexed. He barely knew Sam, but was to be responsible for saving him? That seemed like such a feat for a Hobbit of nine years.  
  
"You will know when it is presented to you."  
  
"But I don't understand, Bilbo," complained Pippin, upset, now, that he was so confused.  
  
"You will, Pippin. Merry, I think you know what to do." Bilbo winked at Pippin's friend behind him.  
  
Before Pippin could turn around, he heard a strange noise like metal scraping metal. He turned to face Merry.  
  
"Merry?" Pippin asked. His friend looked almost the same, though much older, at least by twenty years. Merry had a glint in his eye.  
  
"Sorry, Pip," he said with no apology in his face. He withdrew a dagger with strange writing upon it and advanced at Pippin. He thrust the dagger forward, and Pippin screamed and grabbed for Merry's wrist. 


	22. Sam's Sad Fate

Ch. 22  
  
"Aargh!" Pippin yelled, grabbing at the wrist of his murderous friend. Staring around, he noticed that he was in Bag-End, still. Bilbo was sitting there, and Merry stood over him, but the circumstances were very different.  
  
Gandalf was in the corner speaking to a distraught Rosie. He was clearly crying. Merry was teary, not looking at Pippin. Frodo was in a corner weeping. Elrond stood in the doorway, his back to the room. He was shaking, ever so slightly.  
  
Pippin all at once remembered himself and what recent events had taken place. Playing the scene prior to his siesta back in his mind, he recalled Sam's condition.  
  
Rosie. Pippin realized what all the sadness was for. "No," he whispered.  
  
"Pippin," Merry croaked, turning to look at him. "Sam." He broke off, unable to say any more.  
  
"Pippin, a word?" Gandalf requested, very somber.  
  
"No." Pippin whispered yet again.  
  
"Come, Pippin."  
  
In the kitchen, Gandalf took a deep breath. Whether to steady or compose himself, Pippin knew not. He opened his mouth, reconsidered, and started again.  
  
"Pippin, I must first impress upon you that you are not to blame for this. Understand me, Pippin. You are not at fault."  
  
Pippin began to weep silently. "No." He'd gone from a whisper to a small whimper.  
  
"Yes, Pippin. I am afraid so." Tears ran into Gandalf's beard. "Samwise Gamgee has passed into the realm of the not living. He is dead."  
  
Pippin's ears were ringing. Sam. Dead. it was all too much to take in. "But, Gandalf.he can't die. He can't. He."  
  
"He has passed on. We must." His voice broke for a moment. Clearing his throat, he continued. "We must accept that now."  
  
He stretched out his arm, placing it behind Pippin's head. Moving his hand down to the middle of his back, he pulled the hobbit into a tight embrace, two friends mourning the loss of a great hero. 


	23. Always room for three more?

Note: there is an OC in this Chapter, and she is the only one that I hold claim to. She is based on my friend and I will personally be searching for plagiarists!  
  
Ch. 23  
  
Tap, Tap.  
  
Someone was at the door. Pippin turned slowly, feeling a bit faint, and went to answer it.  
  
"Hello?" Pippin croaked. If Sam was dead, whoever this was could leave. They did not matter as much.  
  
He could see nothing. It was dark, and all he could see were some lights in the distance: those of battle.  
  
Hello, said an ethereal voice, very softly, inside his mind. Pippin, we need to enter.  
  
Three shapes entered the hole, crouching. They wore very elegant, velvety cloaks. The one who'd spoken lowered her blue hood. The Lady Galadriel smiled at him.  
  
Pippin was struck dumb. Another person who'd sailed away had returned. The only one he'd seen leave on the ship that hadn't returned was Lord Celeborn, and, unless Pippin was mistaken, he was probably underneath one of those cloaks.  
  
The second cloak was lowered. The black hood fell around Arwen's shoulders. Arwen was a beautiful Elf. Pippin had never had a real chance to know her, and was saddened. She grinned sadly at him and Pippin knew that word had reached them of Sam. She glanced quickly at Galadriel, a hint of doubt in her eyes.  
  
The third lowered her hood. It was a She-Elf he'd never before seen. She stepped forward and bowed her head. Sable hair tumbled halfway to the floor. "Im Tarien, arwen en' Laiqua-Taure. Tenio sai-en' lle astald lemae, ar'-"  
  
"Tarien, ron uumio quenio lye lammen," Arwen interrupted. "I am sorry, Pippin. My friend is not used to speaking your tongue. Her name is-"  
  
"I am Tarien, Lady of the Green Forest. Legolas is me husband."  
  
"Tarien, my husband."  
  
"No, Arwen. Elessar is your husband." Tarien had a jealous flame stirring beneath her eyes. "I married Legolas three months ago."  
  
"I know, Tarien." Arwen sighed. Apparently, Tarien hadn't spoken anything other than Elvish until recently. "I was correcting you. It is not 'me husband.' It is 'my husband.'"  
  
"Oh," said Tarien, abashed.  
  
Galadriel looked at Pippin, raising her eyebrows. Take us to Samwise, Young Peregrin Took.  
  
"Meaning no offense, My Lady," Pippin interjected. "I am not young as I once was. I've come of age."  
  
Of course. Galadriel smiled, showing her understanding.  
  
"Sam is. was. he's in here." Pippin said. Gandalf stood at the entrance to the hall, bowing his head at the She-Elves as they entered the hall where Sam lay. 


	24. Reunion and Revealing

Note: there is an OC in this chapter who will remain for a while. I own no characters OTHER THAN HER!! She is based on my friend and I will bee looking for anyone stealing her.  
  
Ch. 24  
  
Pippin entered to a scene he may have expected. Merry, Rosie, and Frodo clung to each other for support, all crying or beyond tears. Elanor, who Pippin had not caught sight of since he'd arrived, was sitting on her father's stomach, shaking him, trying to wake him. Gandalf walked over and lifted the child. Sitting her upon his lap, he began to explain. Bilbo stood in the center of the room, touching nothing, as always, and stared around with watering eyes.  
  
Arwen saw Elrond. As he was facing away from the door he didn't see her. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the back of her father's head: a head she'd not seen in years.  
  
"Ada." she whispered.  
  
Elrond straightened. His ears twitched. He slowly turned. "Arwen?" he asked. He was stunned.  
  
"Ada!" Arwen ran and she and Elrond held each other close.  
  
Galadriel, however, immediately strode over to Sam. She kneeled down and put her hand over his forehead, and then over his heart. "Tarien, ro il- naio ba. Sina naio winya a'amin. Sai-winya. Antio lanne"  
  
Gandalf looked between the two Elves. Tarien nodded and ran out of the room purposefully.  
  
"What is it?" asked Pippin to Gandalf. "What are they saying?"  
  
Gandalf wasn't moving. He blinked and shook his head, looking down at Pippin. His mouth hung open, and a small gurgling noise emanated from the hole.  
  
"Gandalf?" Pippin was worried. What were they saying that Gandalf would be struck dumb over?  
  
"Sinome, arwen amin," said Tarien, reentering. She handed Galadriel a cloth and a bowl of steaming water.  
  
Galadriel began to chant. As she did so, she dipped the cloth into the bowl and dabbed it on Sam's head. She moved it down over his heart, then his stomach. Aside from the chanting, Pippin heard a distant humming. He listened more closely and realized that Galadriel was speaking through her mind to Sam so powerfully, that others could hear it.  
  
Samwise Gamgee. Answer me. Come back to us.  
  
"Gandalf. Gandalf, why is she talking to him like that? He's dead. Elves can't raise the dead.can they?"  
  
"No." Gandalf's voice was little more than a whisper.  
  
"Then what is she doing?"  
  
"Trying to wake him up."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's. alive." 


	25. Mass Confusion

Ch. 25  
  
Pippin stared. "Gandalf, you just said he's dead. It was only an hour ago."  
  
"I don't know how, but he must be. Galadriel is very wise." He began to smile, though he was still wondering what could be wrong that even he could not detect life.  
  
Pippin sat down sharply on his cot that he'd been on. "Gandalf," he asked, suddenly curious, "How long did I sleep?"  
  
"For five days and four nights."  
  
Pippin stared. How long after he fell asleep had he awakened and that strange dream began? He went over the dream in his mind.  
  
"Gandalf." he began, shocked. "Gandalf, I have to save Sam. Only I can do it."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Gandalf asked furrowing his eyebrows.  
  
"Bilbo said-"  
  
"What did Bilbo say? Bilbo!"  
  
"No, Gandalf, no! It-"  
  
"Did you call me, Gandalf?" Bilbo had snuck up behind Pippin.  
  
"No, Bilbo, he was just-" began Pippin.  
  
"Did you tell Pippin that he was the only person who could save Sam?" Gandalf interjected.  
  
"Why would I say something like that?" Bilbo asked, barking a laugh.  
  
"Fool of a Took! What are you hiding?" Gandalf shook Pippin roughly by the shoulders.  
  
"Gandalf! I had a dream! It was a memory, but then Bilbo said Sam would die unless I saved him!" Pippin was crying now. He hated Gandalf when he was in a rage. Gandalf was always someone you wanted on your side.  
  
"Go to Arwen and Elrond. They will know." Gandalf said after a long pause. He spun Pippin and nudged him towards the two Elves, still embracing each other. 


	26. Pippin will WHAT!

Ch. 26  
  
"Lord Elrond? Lady Arwen?"  
  
Arwen and Elrond looked down at Pippin. Arwen's gaze turned from pure happiness to worry. "Mani naa ta, Pippin?" she asked. Apparently, she and Elrond had been conversing in Elvish. She shook her head to clear it of the flowing language. "I am sorry. What is it, Pippin?" (What is it?)  
  
"I had a dream while I slept. It began as a memory, but then Bilbo, who'd been about to tell me a story, told me only I could save Sam, and then he said I'd know when the time came and then Merry was all grown, and then he tried to kill me and then I woke up." He finished this all in a single breath. Now panting, he looked to Elrond, wise as he was, for counsel.  
  
Elrond glanced at Arwen and furrowed his eyebrows. In that second, he told her what to do. She bent down and took the Took's hand. They walked over to Galadriel, who was still trying to revive Sam. "Arwenin," Arwen said, bowing. Galadriel looked up and Arwen continued, speaking hurried Elvish. "Sina Perrianath teni e' ho kaima tanya ro antio a' fallana Tel' Astald Neth." (My Lady. This Hobbit heard in a drem that only he must heal the Brave One.)  
  
"Mani? Ro?" Tarien spoke first.  
  
Galadriel, having been so involved in the healing of Sam, she hadn't looked into Pippin's mind. (What? Him?)  
  
Peregrin Took, your dream was no ordinary result of sleep. You . .  
  
On the other side of the room, as Pippin stared at Galadriel, his expression shifting, Merry walked over to Gandalf. "He's. . . alive. . . Gandalf?" he said, choking out the words.  
  
"Yes, Sam still lives." Gandalf grinned at Merry. The grin however, was not sincere. The face behind it was hollow with grief.  
  
"Gandalf." Merry folded his arms, turning to face the wise old wizard. "There's more. I know it. You're holding out on me."  
  
"You may have little common sense, but you sense much." Gandalf's grin faded, no longer needed for the cheerful façade. "Sam is alive, but this sickness is nothing any of us have ever seen before. Galadriel was sensitive enough to hear the gentle calls his mind made. She cannot help him."  
  
"What?" Merry took a step back, dropping his arms and his jaw. "You mean. . . he's alive. . . but we can't save him? So he'll die anyway?" Merry's lowered jaw began to quiver before he set it, tears still forming behind the determined face. "He will live. Whether any of you save him or I have to myself. He-- will-- not-- die!" Merry's voice was now down to a very deadly whisper.  
  
Gandalf replied, "You can do no more than I or Galadriel or Elrond or Arwen can."  
  
"But I want to! I'll do anything, Gandalf!" Merry was past being domineering and was now pleading with Gandalf, hoping for the chance to save his friend.  
  
"It is not up to me, Merry. You can do nothing for Sam. There is only one who can."  
  
Merry cocked his head in confusion. Gandalf had said this was something new and that none of them could do anything.  
  
Gandalf nodded his head towards Galadriel, where Pippin stood.  
  
"Pip?" Merry said, facing away from Gandalf.  
  
Gandalf grasped Merry's shoulder from behind. "I think it may soon come to pass that Pippin will become more powerful, even, than I. A time may come when Pippin will have more sway than any force to ever enter this world." 


	27. Why it is

Ch. 27  
  
Pippin stood stunned. "What?"  
  
Yes, Galadriel said. Your dream is the result of a link you share to other realms.  
  
"So, what, am I some kind of. . .?"  
  
Link. You are a link between worlds. You have power coursing through you that is undetectable to all who live in this world, but to those who don't, it is more immense than a mountain, stronger than a mountain.  
  
"How?"  
  
I do not know. . .  
  
Tarien stood, not hearing Galadriel and wondering what Pippin was so awed about. Arwen had drifted back to Elrond and the two were standing in each other's arms. Merry was talking to Gandalf, and Pippin saw the eyes of his friend widen as Gandalf stared at the floor. Merry sat down, but as there was no chair there, he hit the floor rather hard.  
  
Pippin strode over to where they stood, trying to chuckle as if nothing had happened, and not succeeding well. "That was graceful!" he said.  
  
Merry glanced at Gandalf, to Pippin's extended hand, and back to Gandalf. Pippin noticed the hesitation and began to question. "Did I miss something? Is there something that I should know about?"  
  
Merry opened his mouth to speak, but Gandalf interjected. "I was just telling Merry about your dream. Very strange, it was."  
  
Pippin accepted this, though he had a gnawing felling that Gandalf was not being very truthful. There was the speed at which he answered, faltering during the very first word, ever so slightly. There was also the fact that Merry would not look Pippin in the eye, preferring to stare at his hairy feet.  
  
"All right, now, Pippin," said Gandalf. "How are you supposed to cure Sam? What did the dream say? We have to get this done as soon as possible. The-" Gandalf stopped, looking horrified. He shook his head and said, "We must get Sam back on his feet. He is. needed."  
  
"Why?" Pippin asked, suspicion growing. "What aren't you telling us, Gandalf?"  
  
"Nothing." Gandalf's answer came far too quickly, and Pippin let it go. If Gandalf felt that it was something he needed to know, he'd say so. hopefully.  
  
"In my dream, Bilbo said that I'd know when the time was right. We have to wait."  
  
"Not for years have I been this short on time," Gandalf murmured to himself. What was he up to that Sam was needed back so quickly?  
  
BANG!  
  
The door to the hall was flung open. There stood Gimli and Legolas, holding up a weak Aragorn. A puddle of blood lay at his feet.  
  
"Where's Rosie?" asked Legolas. 


	28. Revelation

Ch. 28  
  
"Legolas? Melethnin?"  
  
A small, disbelieving voice rang out from across the room, those two words a chorus of angels to Pippin's ears.  
  
"Tarien?" Legolas asked. His eyes pooled with tears. Apparently, he'd not known that his beloved would be here. Gimli rolled his eyes at the expression on his friend's face.  
  
"Here we go." A murmur of exasperation escaped the dwarf.  
  
Legolas made a movement suggesting he would have run from under Aragorn's arm into the arms of his wife, but a noise of dissent from Gimli brought him crashing back.  
  
Arwen turned. "Elessar!" She ran to her husband's side. "Legolas, mani marte?"  
  
"Orcs. Gandalf, he was cut by one of their blades. I fear there was poison upon it. If he doesn't receive help quickly he will not live."  
  
Arwen stood, unable to move. Her eyes moved to the slice through Aragorn's tunic. Instinctively, it seemed, she grabbed at her stomach. Perhaps she was ill at the thought of life without the man she forsaked her immortal life for. If he were to die, she would likely follow very quickly.  
  
Legolas had set Aragorn upon a bed and rushed into his wife's embrace. He had his hands wound in her hair and was taking in her sweet scent. After a moment, he lifted her damp face to his, and their tears mingled as they shared in a deep kiss, a kiss of true love. Pippin looked away, not just so that they may have privacy, but because he was jealous. He feared he may never find someone with which to share that special kind of contact.  
  
Arwen was now on her knees by Aragorn's side. She kissed his brow, and a single tear dripped into his now open eye. He was awake, but very weak. He lifted his hand to touch her face, and she grabbed his hand. "No," she whispered. "Keep up your strength."  
  
"Arwen. . ." he sputtered. A cough escaped his dry throat.  
  
"Lay still," she pleaded.  
  
Galadriel had been watching from her position on the ground next to Sam. She walked over to her granddaughter. "He will be fine, child. He can be healed easily." She whipped her glorious head around, towards Rosie who had an incoherent Elanor in her lap.  
  
Rosie looked sharply up as if someone had called her name, but the room as silent, save for Elanor's sobbing. The child had no idea that her father had been established as alive.  
  
Rosie nodded and stood up, resting Elanor on the floor. Pippin guessed that Galadriel was speaking to her mind.  
  
She stood next to Aragorn, examining the wound. Galadriel stood and backed away. "Yes," murmured Rosie. "This I can do." After a wistful glance at Sam, she rolled up her sleeve and called over her shoulder. "Pippin! I'll need two bowls of water, one cold, one hot. Merry, a towel, from beneath the cabinet."  
  
Merry and Pippin left the room together, and, as they exited the hall, it dawned upon Pippin that the number of beds within the Hobbit-hole had diminished. "Merry? Where have they all gone?"  
  
"Who?" asked Merry, puzzled.  
  
"All the people in the beds."  
  
"They left. They got better and they left."  
  
"Didn't more come? Or are the Uruks more determined to kill now, rather than injure?"  
  
"No, they're leaving."  
  
"What? Leaving?"  
  
"Didn't you hear Gimli? He was telling Gandalf of a mass retreat. Or maybe. an advance."  
  
"What? No, I was too busy concentrating on Aragorn and Sam."  
  
"And Tarien." A mischievous grin spread over the elder hobbit's face.  
  
"What?" Pippin was suddenly very defensive. He knew what Merry spoke of, but could not let on that he.  
  
"I saw you staring. Honestly I can see why. She's beautiful." Merry said this with the same emotion that Pippin felt: longing. Longing for that special someone was something that few hobbits over their age managed to come upon.  
  
Merry changed the subject. "Anyway, Aragorn may not be the only man to join us."  
  
Pippin and Merry fell quiet. Pippin poured two bowls of water. Setting one down, he made his way to the hearth with the other. He poured it into the pot that hung in the place. Using a candle that rested over the hole in the wall, he lit the fire.  
  
The water sat still for several moments, only the surface rippling ever so gently, as all water does. A bubble rose o the surface, followed by another and another. The rippling surface began to make enormous waves, bubbles rising twenty, thirty, forty, fifty at a time. He took the water off of the flame and poured it back into the bowl, where it was stagnant once more.  
  
Pippin gasped. Too simple, too simple.he thought. .Or is it?  
  
"Merry." he whispered. His friend whipped around.  
  
"Something wrong, Pip?"  
  
"I've got it." 


	29. Female flame throwers

Ch. 29  
  
"What, Pip? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Sam. I know. but no one else can know. It has to be secret. We need to distract everyone else, get them out of the hall. I need to be alone."  
  
"Pip, what are you talking about?" Merry noticed Pippin's fervor and was torn between worry that he may be hallucinating and encouraging him to run with whatever it was. Why not? He thought. "I don't quite know what's going on, but I'll help. How long do you need alone in the hall?"  
  
"Here's my plan."  
  
Back in the hall, Rosie sat impatiently awaiting Pippin and Merry. Arwen paced, and Tarien attempted to calm her down from her place in Legolas's lap.  
  
"Hamio ndu, mellonin."  
  
"Uumio!" Arwen screamed in reply. "Your one love is not on that bed. He is in your arms perfectly healthy! Elessar may die! I love him, Tarien!" She collapsed onto the floor, a whimpering, shaking heap.  
  
Rosie stood up, glaring at Arwen, but trying to not to be harsh, and said, "Arwen, I know that this is difficult for you. I can easily heal Aragorn, if Merry and Pippin ever return. You have no idea what it's like to know that you nor anyone who has any renown with healing can heal the person that care more about than anything or anyone. You, Arwen, will never know."  
  
Arwen's position on the floor was perfect in height levels so that she could sit up and slap Rosie sharply across the face. Rosie stood there for a moment in a state of shock, her head slightly to one side.  
  
Pippin chose that exact moment to flounce in, grinning from ear to ear and say, "So, what did we miss?"  
  
P.S.: Sorry that the chapter's so short, I've been a bit busy! 


	30. Aragorn's Healing

Ch. 30  
  
Rosie slowly turned to Pippin, shaking her head. She looked at his hands and saw the steaming bowl and the plain one. "Bring it here, Pippin. Merry, the cloth."  
  
Reaching for the cloth, she immediately ripped it in two. One half she dipped into the cold, the other into the hot. The hot cloth was placed on Aragorn's chest, atop the wound. The cold cloth was laid upon his forehead. Rosie held the hot cloth tightly over the wound for a minute, before lifting it and dripping cold water onto the cut. The blood, which had been flowing freely, due to the poison, Pippin guessed, clotted.  
  
Rosie stood and reached for her bandage kit. Inside was a small, bulb shaped object. She took the thing over to Aragorn, squeezed the large end and inserted the slim end into the still open edge of the slice. She let go and blood was sucked into the thing. Squeezing it over one of the empty bowls, she emptied it before repeating the procedure. Five more times she did this, and on the fifth time, the blood that was emptied from the bulb came out dark forest green.  
  
Rosie grabbed a bandage and a sewing kit. Using the needle and thick thread, she sewed together the two sides of the crevice that marred the strong torso of Aragorn. She then proceeded to bandage it up, to keep him from moving too much and to catch any stray blood.  
  
Standing she turned to the crowd that stood there and said, "There, Arwen," her voice full of spite, her eyes of tears. "Your husband is cured." With that she left the room, her face in her hands. Arwen looked at her feet, ashamed.  
  
"What happened?" Pippin asked, now near to Gandalf.  
  
"Nothing. Just a dueling of passion between two women."  
  
"Ah." Pippin knew better than to attempt to comprehend to workings of the female mind. Suddenly, he remembered his plan to empty the hall of all but Merry, Sam, and himself.  
  
"Er, Gandalf." he began. His voice caught in his throat. Gandalf would see through the lie. His plan would not work. Even if Gandalf did not catch it, Galadriel was present. Galadriel, who saw into his mind. and Elrond, who saw into his future.  
  
"Yes, Pippin?" asked Gandalf, beginning to worry.  
  
"Nothing." The reply came far too quickly, and Gandalf placed his hand on Pippin's shoulder and steered him around the crowd. As they walked past, Aragorn opened his eyes. Perfect, thought Gandalf.  
  
As they entered the kitchen, Rosie was sitting in a chair, in less of a state then she'd left in. Arwen sat by her on the floor, their eyes level. They were smiling, each just a little. "Arwen, Aragorn is waking. Rosie, Elanor calls for her mother." Gandalf shooed the two of them into he hall. A question emanated from Arwen's eyes, but in her excitement, she chose to ignore it. Grabbing Rosie's hand, she pulled her into the hall.  
  
Gandalf walked over to the table, motioning for Pippin to follow. He sat down at the too small for him table, and Pippin was seated comfortably next to him.  
  
"So, said Gandalf. "How do you plan to cure Sam?" 


	31. Congratulations are in order, I believe

Ch. 31  
  
Aragorn tried to sit up. About halfway there, he grabbed hi aching chest and lay back down.  
  
Arwen sat by his side and gently spoke to him. "Be still," she cooed. "You will heal quickly."  
  
A stream of profanities expelled from his mouth. In his anger he tried to sit up again, and again he was in pain. "I need to be well now," he groaned. Seeing the fearful and hurt look on Arwen's face, he leaned towards her and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry, Melethnin. Im meleth lle." (My love, I love you)  
  
"Im meleth lle," she replied. Pausing first, she continued. "Aragorn, I have something to tell you. Something that will change our lives forever."  
  
Pippin had sidled into the room, quietly so that no one would notice. Elrond stood with Galadriel, silently, but looking at Aragorn and Arwen before looking back at each other repeatedly gave Pippin the notion that they were speaking to each other in their minds.  
  
Rosie and Elanor were with Sam. Elanor sat on her father's lap, while Rosie ran a cool cloth over his brow from his side. Pippin noticed Sam's eyes beginning to twitch, but that would not last unless the plan was carried out.  
  
Tarien had fallen asleep in Legolas's arms. He carefully lifted her in his powerful Elf arms and carried her into a bedroom, where they remained.  
  
Arwen was talking to Aragorn, her attempted somber expression being broken by her radiant smile. Pippin had exactly one second to wonder as to what they were talking about before a grunt behind him startled him. Knowing that no one must know he was back in there, he spun to silence whoever it was.  
  
Gimli sat against the wall, his head drooping. His hands were limp at his sides, and the corners of his mouth shone wet. Lying next to him, however, was the reason Pippin had left Gandalf in the kitchen.  
  
Merry's eyes were beginning to flicker, a sign that he was not quite yet asleep. Sleep, however, was a gift, and Pippin was feeling rather greedy. Merry was needed elsewhere.  
  
Pippin bent down and shook his friend. "Merry," he whispered. "Merry, wake up."  
  
Merry stirred, groaned, and turned to the other side, not ready to awaken. But, alas, he would. Reaching into his pocket, Pippin pulled out a small pouch. Covering Merry's mouth, Pippin opened the pouch under Merry's nose.  
  
It was a good thing that his mouth was covered, too, because the second the scent of the weed hit his nose, Merry shot awake, and said, "Longbottom leaf!" Luckily, it came out muffled and no one heard.  
  
"Come on." Pippin made a hand motion as he mouthed the words, and the two slipped out the door.  
  
Gandalf dragged the two over to the table. Merry looked at what the two of them had gathered around.  
  
"Sam?" he asked. Pippin and Gandalf nodded.  
  
The three began to discuss their plan to cure Sam, covering or including all obstacles. The final verdict was that Rosie must not know, because she'd disapprove. Everyone else was needed, at least a bit. Everyone would be informed only of what they needed to know.  
  
They stood and made to reenter the hall. Upon entering, Gandalf whispered, "Elrond and Galadriel first."  
  
They walked over there, but were waylaid. Arwen was speaking to Aragorn in a tone mixed with soothing, excitement, and worry. He was now sitting, and had his head in his hands.  
  
"I can't," he was mumbling, over and over.  
  
Gandalf approached him. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"I have ridden to war under many a king and steward. I've traveled all of Middle Earth. I've braved infinite battles and terrors. I've gone over mountains, and under them. I've conquered the dark of Fangorn Forest and the Paths of the Dead. I've been crowned king, and been married. Now I come to a challenge I fear to face." Aragorn lifted his face and glanced at Arwen before looking to Gandalf. "I'm going to be a father." 


	32. Announce it to everyone, why don't you?

Ch. 32  
  
Gandalf smiled and rested his hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "You will be the best father a child could ask for."  
  
"A small life within my wife is now my responsibility. What if I fail? Stakes are never higher than when a man tries to raise a child."  
  
"Lord Aragorn," Pippin said.  
  
"Pippin, my friend," Aragorn said, smiling just a little. "You do not have need to address me so properly. Aragorn or Strider will do."  
  
"Aragorn," Pippin restarted. "This child will be lucky to have you and Lady Arwen as parents. You won't fail."  
  
"Thank you, Pippin," Aragorn chuckled.  
  
Gandalf apologized, saying they had to speak with Elrond and Galadriel. They excused themselves and continued down the hall.  
  
Galadriel spoke before any of them could say anything. "Are you sure that this is the way?"  
  
"Yes," said Pippin, puffing out his chest.  
  
Elrond spoke next. "And if you are wrong? I can see no outcome for this plan, for there are too many possibilities of success. . . and of failure."  
  
"We won't fail." Merry and Pippin growled in unison.  
  
"I do not think, Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel," Gandalf began, "That anything can go wrong, as long as everyone works together."  
  
Elrond glanced at Galadriel before looking back at them. "What?" asked Merry. "What was that about?"  
  
"You already are upon a sizeable obstacle."  
  
"That is?" asked Pippin.  
  
"Rosie Gamgee."  
  
"Yes, we need your help in getting Sam-" He paused, glancing around. "-you know- without Rosie or Elanor knowing, and that's a grand task-" Pippin babbled before he was interrupted in his mind.  
  
Therein lies the problem. Galadriel's soothing voice ensnared his mind. Rosie and Elanor must help. No path, without them at your side, can lead to the revival of Sam. His life is in his family, now, as well.  
  
Pippin sighed, resigned. "So, let's make an announcement." He walked around Bag-end, rousing those in the bliss of sleep and gathering those who were awake over to Sam's bed.  
  
"Everyone, I have news for you all. Sam will get better. . . but only with all of your help." 


	33. The Plan Unveiled

Ch. 33  
  
"No no no no no no no I don't think so I'm not going to let you you're not going to do that Sam will stay here in his bed and I will care for him and no one will be here because you've outworn your welcome and you can all leave NOW!" Rosie panted after this long sentence that she burst out with after Pippin finished describing the plan for the third time. One breath was not nearly enough to say all of this and she was worn.  
  
"Rosie," Pippin said, rubbing his temples. "It's the only way to help him."  
  
She opened her mouth to continue her ranting, but stopped. Pippin knew what she would have said. She would have said, "Then he will die." Her love for Sam, however, overtook her anger and she said, "I am not allowing this."  
  
Gandalf stepped in saying, "I am sorry, Rosie, but this will happen with or without your permission. But without your assistance, we will likely fail- and Sam will die."  
  
Rosie's eyes welled up. She darted into a bedroom and a noise against the door suggested that she had slumped down behind there.  
  
Gimli had a puzzled look on his face. "Pippin, could you explain your plan again?"  
  
Pippin sighed and began for the fourth time. "Water. Water boils in a way that represents Sam's life. His life was calm and unbothered for many years. Then the Ring came along and Sam set of on a small journey, just to Rivendell, to get the Ring to Elrond. The small ripples of travel turned into the steady bubbling of disturbance, when we joined the Fellowship through the time it was broken. Then he and Frodo took off on their own, the path increasing in treachery. The rolling boil reached its peak at Mount Doom. When they were rescued and brought home, it was like removing the water from the heat- an abrupt ceasing of any movement. He hasn't left the Shire, except to see off Frodo. He needs to be back out there. It's his only chance of recovery. We need your help to get into each area of Middle Earth, for you all have some influence." Reaching down, he pulled out a map that he'd planned their route on. "Look, we head South through Rohan, with Aragorn's help, since he is friend to Eomer more than I, and Gondor, also Aragorn, whip around Mordor, I won't go back there, make our way through Mirkwood with the help of Legolas, Rivendell and Lorien, Arwen, sorry, Gimli, but I don't think Moria's a place we need to go, and- Tarien, where are you from?"  
  
Tarien promptly replied, "I'd rather not say. My homeland is not of the highest esteem, for that is why I left it."  
  
"Alright, then." Pippin looked around. "Does everyone understand?"  
  
"I have a question."  
  
Pippin looked behind the wall of people facing him. Rosie stood there. "How do we get home?"  
  
Pippin asked, "So you'll go along with it?"  
  
"Tell me how we'll get home." 


	34. Big news for the new wizard

Ch. 34  
  
"We travel between Forodwaith and the Misty Mountains so that we don't disturb anyone, and back down through North Farthing. We will stop at the homes of all of our relations to bid them well and then return here, to Hobbiton, to Bag-End." Glancing at Sam, he added to himself, "I hope we all return." He was unsure now, of whether or not he could do much.  
  
Do not fear, Peregrin Took, Galadriel said to his mind. Everything will turn out as it is meant to.  
  
Pippin walked over to Gandalf and asked him into another room. Once inside, Pippin began questioning.  
  
"I know I haven't used my, er, magic much, but I'm really not sure I deserve it. But, as long as I have it, I really want to help as many people as I can. Can you help me do that?"  
  
Gandalf smiled, though a cloud of secrecy hid behind his eyes. "Pippin, you will do just fine."  
  
"Gandalf, you're not telling me everything. Is there something that I need to know?"  
  
"I'm not sure if you're ready to hear this."  
  
"I don't care. If I need to, then I'm ready."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
Pippin opened his mouth to say he was. "Of course, Gandalf!" he wanted to scream. "If I said I'm ready, then I am!" He hesitated for a moment, though, just long enough to realize that he wasn't sure. "I'm not, but you can tell me anyway. I need to know, or you wouldn't be this careful about it."  
  
Gandalf grinned a large, friendly grin. "Thus, you have learned an important lesson in wizardry. Being ready is not about what you want to know or do, it is about knowing or doing what you need to anyway."  
  
"Then I'm ready to know." Pippin braced himself, knowing that any range of foul news could ensue.  
  
"Radagast has been killed. I received word two days past."  
  
"Who's that? I've never heard of him. Is he a friend or a foe?"  
  
"He was the brown wizard."  
  
Pippin was in shock. "But. . . but that means. . ."  
  
"You're due for a promotion, Pippin." 


	35. Where Frodo went

Ch. 35  
  
Frodo sat next to Sam, having just wandered in. In his shock at hearing that Sam was dead, he'd left Bag-End, no destination in mind. While out, he'd sat under a tree. The tree was the one he'd been reading under when Gandalf returned to the Shire for Bilbo's eventful eleventy-first birthday. Long ago, he'd claimed it as HIS tree.  
  
Upon returning, Merry informed him of Sam being alive. In his filthy, torn clothes, he somehow managed his way over to Sam, where he'd been for the past half hour. He arrived shortly after Pippin's speech.  
  
Pippin walked over to Frodo. Noticing the state of his friend, he asked, "What happened to you?"  
  
"Uh?" Frodo was functioning so slowly that nothing seemed to register.  
  
Pippin was the first to notice the blood- if that's what it was. It was the location that brought fear into his heart. Eyes widening, he quickly yelled for anyone and everyone to come over. "Help! Rosie, Aragorn, Arwen, Galadriel!"  
  
Everyone capable came running.  
  
Elrond, Arwen, and Aragorn were in unison when the said, "Ai, Elbereth."  
  
"What is it, Pipp. . ." Gandalf began exasperatedly, but he stopped breathing for several moments, in which everyone gathered.  
  
Merry and Bilbo were the only others who knew the significance of this wound. Everyone else, however, could sense the awful feeling that spread amongst the crowd.  
  
"I thought you. . ." began Arwen, staring at her father, avoiding looking at the green that was oozing over Frodo's shirt.  
  
"No," said Elrond, shaking his head. "It couldn't."  
  
Legolas exchanged thoughts with Arwen, and Tarien was relayed the information from her husband.  
  
Pippin felt an invading presence in his mind. Galadriel was trying to find the information about this particular reopening cut.  
  
"What is it?" asked Gimli, impatience taking over.  
  
Everyone turned to face him.  
  
Gandalf spoke first. "The Nazgul." 


	36. The Dark Lands of Morenore

///Just so everyone knows, Morenore is not made up by me, I have found maps that contain the Eastern Darklands!!///  
  
Ch. 36  
  
Pippin felt as if he'd been hit hard in the stomach. All air left his lungs and he became overly dizzy. He tried to take a deep breath to steady himself, but tottered uneasily on his feet, which had gone numb. He'd known what the wound had meant, but to hear it spoken aloud was more than he could handle- and apparently more than Gimli could handle.  
  
"What?" he sputtered. "I thought they were lost in the fires of Mount Doom! How can they be here?"  
  
Gandalf had no answer. Elrond stepped forward to respond in his stead. "They have not returned. This is not the work of Ring-Wraiths. They merely provided the entrance area for an easy blow. Morgul blades came into no contact with Frodo this age. This is the work of a far greater foe." He reached down and pulled apart Frodo's shirt, exposing the wound- not that you could see it.  
  
What appeared to be a dark green sort of goo was forcing itself out of the hole and spreading over Frodo's smooth torso. Elrond grabbed one of the cloths used to heal Aragorn and wiped it through the ooze, clearing the area for everyone to see the opening.  
  
An icy blue coating surrounded the wound. The green had no visible source. Frodo's blood was still visible. The green just seemed to form itself from nowhere into droplets the size of nuts before either dripping down or popping to release a foul smelling liquid.  
  
"What is that?" asked Merry.  
  
"It is what happens when an evil wound, even a healed one, is hit by a Morenore blade," Elrond said, his eyes darting back and forth around the room.  
  
"I have never heard of that place," said Aragorn, breaking his silence.  
  
Arwen opened her mouth and began. "Morenore is across the Inner Sea, to the Southeast of Middle Earth. Only one person that I know has ever been there." At this point, she and Tarien shared a glance. "Tarien escaped from there. Her family was kidnapped when she was a small child. She was the only survivor. It is an evil wasteland. Orcs, Uruk-hai, and Wraiths are nothing compared to the evil that dwells there. A horror that cannot be described in mere words controls all shores in that festering place. From the looks of this wound that mars the small body of Frodo, they have lost contentment in their own evil filth and are trying to control- another place. The creatures that live there do not share land. They will destroy everything and everyone that rests where they wish to dominate."  
  
"Sounds like orcs to me," muttered Gimli. "And what are orcs doing here if this Morenore is the mastermind behind this apocalypse?"  
  
"Do you not understand?"  
  
Everyone turned at the sound of the voice, shocked.  
  
Frodo looked around at everyone and said, "Orcs are mere puppets to these things. I have seen what awaits us if we do not act."  
  
"What is it, Frodo?" asked Gandalf.  
  
"It's. . . us."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Legolas, nonplussed.  
  
"I saw. . . Gandalf. . . coming towards me. I walked over. By the time I reached him, Pippin stood before me instead. And then. . . it became me. I can't explain how. Slowly, so slowly I didn't realize what was happening until the transformation was nearly complete. Then. . . I stabbed me. I mean, whatever it was stabbed me."  
  
Tarien looked horrified. "Kromagul," she whispered. 


	37. Kromagul

Note: I have had ZERO reviews for the last ten chapters. I feel very hurt. Please review if you read. It makes me feel loved. Even just a simple, "Good" or "Cool" or "I like it" makes me feel good. So please help me out, OK? Or no more chapters!  
  
Ch. 37  
  
"Tarien? Melethnin? Please come out."  
  
Legolas whispered through the door to a bedroom, coaxing a distraught Tarien. After saying some word that seemed to be random, she'd launched herself past everyone else into a room and locked the door. For the past hour Legolas had been attempting to convince her to come out so that they may find out who or what "Kromagul" was.  
  
"Legolas, if you come in here, alone, I will speak to you." Her small voice quivered through the door.  
  
Legolas looked at everyone else for permission. They all nodded. He said, "Let me in, Tarien."  
  
The door opened slightly and a hand reached through, very near to the top. A handful of Legolas's tunic was snatched in the fist and he was yanked forward.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
When Tarien had attempted to pull him through, she'd forgotten that he was too tall to fit in without crouching. He ducked and entered, and the door slammed behind him.  
  
Everyone immediately turned to Galadriel. Gandalf took a step towards her and said, "We know you do not like to share inner thoughts with others, but you must tell us who- what- 'Kromagul' is. It may be important."  
  
"I wish I could, Gandalf." The enchantress's voice was wearied and sounded not like her own. She seemed weak, worried, fatigued- understandable, considering the circumstances. "I cannot reach her. It is as though she is dead, or..... there is some kind of wall, or a barrier. I cannot see into her mind." At this point she sat down and placed her head in her hands. As she trembled, Arwen's eyes pooled and she ran to comfort her grandmother.  
  
A loud noise of confusion emitted from the room that held the Elven couple, followed by soft sobbing. Pippin jumped, having been holding a damp cloth to Frodo's chest while watching the scene around him. The..... ooze had stopped, though Frodo seemed to be out of it.  
  
BANG.  
  
The door snapped open and Legolas held a Tarien with a slit across her throat. He ran over to a bed and darted through the hall doors in order to get a cloth. When he returned, he carefully dabbed the wound, helping to slow the flow of blood.  
  
"What happened?" asked Gandalf.  
  
"She told me what Kromagul was. She told me what Kromagul was, and then.....this."  
  
He placed his head in his hands and wept. 


	38. Friend from the past

Ch. 38  
  
Everyone stood around feeling very somber. Aragorn was sleeping, waking occasionally with a painful whimper. Tarien was recovering, although still no one had been able to get anything out of Tarien or Legolas. No one would ask because they all felt terrible, and everyone had at least one hole in their heart in the room.  
  
Gandalf was speaking with a Bilbo whose lower body was through a bed. Galadriel, Arwen, and Elrond were separated from everyone else, looking sharply from one to the other, speaking through the telepathy that Elves share. Merry was asleep next to Frodo, who was still in bad shape.  
  
"Urgh," moaned Pippin. The cloth he'd held over Frodo's wound for the past two hours would need to be cleaned or replaced soon. It was covered in green secretion. Pippin whispered to the sleeping Frodo, "Don't move."  
  
He walked along, holding his hand beneath the dripping fabric. Rushing, while still being careful, he tiptoed past everyone else. He tore his eyes away from his destination for a split second to look at Sam.  
  
Rosie sat under her husband's arm. She was running her hand over his brow, whispering into his ears. Elanor sat upon her father's feet, playing with his hairy toes. Pippin looked back to Rosie one more time- and gasped.  
  
Rosie had her hand on her lower stomach. A bulge there that had not been visible before was accentuated by the posture she was in. It was not merely a fold of skin- this growth was round and hard.  
  
Another Gamgee, he thought.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
As Pippin flew through the air, he twisted to see what tripped him and saw Gimli open his eyes. A mug fell from his hand.  
  
Pippin's mind raced as the cloth flew from his hand in Sam's direction. He heard a scream issue from that area, and tried to see.  
  
But he hit.  
  
Pippin looked around at the swirling vortex he was enveloped in. He cast about for anything familiar, anything friendly.  
  
The purple mist surrounded him  
  
"I'm right here," called a voice from behind him.  
  
Pippin trembled as he turned to face the man who'd saved his life, if not his freedom. The man who'd been a friend and ally, even for a short while.  
  
"Boromir!" 


	39. Borormir's Deprature Familiar, no?

Ch. 39  
  
Pippin leaped and threw his arms around Boromir's neck, who nearly toppled forward into the- well, through the clouds and shadows that closed in around them.  
  
Boromir laughed the hearty chuckle that Pippin remembered so well. Placing Pippin back down, he ruffled the Hobbit's hair.  
  
Pippin looked up at his deceased savior and tears welled up in his eyes. Boromir looked just as Pippin remembered him. "How?" Pippin choked.  
  
Boromir's smile faded. "I cannot stay long. You need to listen carefully and understand." Pippin nodded, and Boromir continued. "Your new friend Tarien was slashed by Kromagul."  
  
"What is it?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Open your hand."  
  
Pippin did so, and immediately felt a deep weight fill it up. He closed his hand and brought it to his chest to keep from dropping whatever the thing was. Once steadied, he opened his hand and looked. He screamed, and stammered, "This- but- Frodo- Sauron- gone- this- no-"  
  
Boromir's grim expression softened slightly. "No, this is not The One Ring. It was destroyed within Mordor. This is an exact replica."  
  
Pippin held it up, looking at it. Boromir kept talking. "It even shows its writing in fire. Notice, it has no power, no hold over you. Give it to me."  
  
Pippin handed it over. "See?" exclaimed Boromir. "You didn't even hesitate or wonder why I may want it." He knelt down and placed the ring in Pippin's hand. "For you," he said.  
  
Pippin saw a shadow stir behind Boromir's eyes. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"I must leave soon. Tell- tell everyone that I said.... Oh, what to say....hello, I suppose. If you see Faramir, tell him I love him. And my father."  
  
"Boromir....your father, he died. I will not tell you how. You would not wish to hear it."  
  
"Oh.... well.... you won't see me again, Pippin. Least, not while you live. Good-bye."  
  
The two shared and embrace. Upon parting, both were very teary indeed. Boromir stood and said, "Go."  
  
The moment he said it, Pippin fell through the mist. Closing his eyes as he fell, he listened for whatever lay below. He landed on his back, hard. He opened his eyes to meet Merry's. Both were smiling, very broadly. Pippin knew why he was smiling, himself, but before he could ask Gandalf why he was smiling, Merry noticed that Pippin's hand was tightly shut.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Nothing." The response came quickly, and Merry probably didn't believe him. "What are you smiling about?"  
  
Merry looked across the room. Pippin sat up to see- and screamed.  
  
NOTE: Hey! I am so happy right now b/c I got my first review in, like, forever. Here it is! No name used!  
  
~~ Oh, I just realized that I've been reading this story and hadn't reviewed it!  
  
So sorry! Well anyways, I think this is an absolutly, horrendously lovely  
  
story. By 'horrendous' I refer to the short chapters that *always* manage to  
  
end in a HORRIBLE cliffhanger! ARG! Keep it up, I really DO enjoy the suspense  
  
(well, most of the time...)! Also, the storyline is absolutely fasinating! And  
  
the whole idea of Pippin being a wizard? Brilliant! I can't wait to see what  
  
happens next (HINT, HINT). However, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, pretty please don't  
  
kill off my favourite characters! Especially Sam or Frodo. Well anyhow, keep up  
  
the good writing! ~~  
  
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	40. It's a Wonderful BagEnd

Ch. 40  
  
Rosie had her arms about the neck of a large Hobbit whose arms were tightly about her middle. Both were shaking. Elanor was crawling on the Hobbit's back, squealing.  
  
Arwen and Tarien stood a short ways away, smiling, yet with tears in their eyes. The soft, rosy glow on Tarien's face gave away the blood that was returning to her body. Galadriel and Elrond, apparently watching the scene in silence, were in deep mind conversation as suggested by the jerking movements their heads made towards each other every few minutes. Gandalf, from next to them, winked at Pippin. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas were opposite the others.  
  
Frodo was still on a bed, hardly better.  
  
"What's going on, Merry?" He knew, but the shock kept him from reaching that.  
  
"Come on," Merry said, pulling Pippin to his feet. Merry led Pippin over to the crowd of people.  
  
The large Hobbit snapped up his head. Grinning as he'd only been seen grinning on his wedding day or while gardening, Sam smiled at Pippin.  
  
"S-s-s-s-s-s-Sam?" No, no, no, no, no! he thought. Sam was- is- but, I- how long- I must have- what?  
  
"Pippin!"  
  
"Sam?" Pippin's voice was weak.  
  
"Frodo." Sam's voice was woozy, because he'd seen the bed in which Frodo lay. "What happened?"  
  
No one spoke. Pippin took a breath and stepped forward to fill him in.  
  
Gandalf stepped in front of him. "Pippin, perhaps it would be best if I were to fill him in." Leading Sam out of the hall, he began to speak.  
  
Pippin immediately turned to Merry. "How?" he asked.  
  
"Well, when you fell, the cloth flew out of your hand and landed on Sam's face. Rosie screamed, and everyone tried to make sure none of the stuff dripped down his throat or anything."  
  
"Good thing it didn't."  
  
"But it did! Whatever it was, it made Sam wake up almost right away! It, I don't know, countered the poison that was on that knife."  
  
"So.... The whole journey.... thing.... Wasn't the way?"  
  
"Apparently not."  
  
"Pippin!" a voice screamed.  
  
Pippin whipped his head around. Sam stood in the doorway, his eyes wide, shining with admiration.  
  
"You're a wizard? And you're- the brown wizard died? So.... you.... and.... You're going to be a brown wizard?"  
  
Merry shouted in anger. "What? You never said anything to me about being a brown wizard!"  
  
Pippin hung his head, abashed. "Whoops?" 


	41. Something about Merry

Ch. 41  
  
Merry sat in a corner: the same one he'd planted himself in three days prior. He was starving, but he wouldn't move- his pride overpowered his huger, and the burning of his stomach was nothing compared to his seething anger.  
  
Arwen and Rosie sat side by side, moving from holding hands and feeling the other's swollen bellies to holding their husbands' hands as they too ran their hand over the taught skin. Bloody Hell, thought Merry, rolling his eyes.  
  
Galadriel and Elrond were in opposite corners of the hall, occasionally shooting angry looks at the other, giving the impression of a grand argument. In truth, the argument had ended the previous morning.  
  
Frodo was on a bed, his eyes rolling. This roll, however, was not voluntary. He'd been in quite a state for the past few days. Pippin had not left his side but for a few times each day, now being one of those times. Like that surprises me, thought Merry. He's probably going for a pipe, besides the food.  
  
Legolas and Tarien were currently in one of the bedrooms. As soon as the sun began to set each night, Legolas and Tarien took the room with the view of the rising moon.  
  
Gandalf had taken Gimli out of the hall earlier that day. Merry could see them talking in the kitchen if he shifted just a bit. Gimli almost always had his head shaking in disbelief. Gandalf could often be heard yelling in the tongues of other creatures.  
  
Pippin reentered the room. Rather than going back to Frodo, he sat next to Merry. "What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing again because I know. You're mad."  
  
"I'm not mad." Merry's voice dripped with disdain. The sarcasm was like a poisonous fume, filling every bit of Pippin's mind. "Why should I be mad? It's just good to know now that you're against me. I like to keep a running tally of who's on my side."  
  
Pippin was taken aback. "Against you? I'll never be against you. I'm on your side. What would tell you differently?"  
  
"How long have you known you were going to be a Brown Wizard?"  
  
"Oh, is that what-"  
  
"Let me finish. Who was with you when we thought for sure we were doomed to the fires of Isengard? Who was there by your side when the Rohirrim attacked the Orcs and we had to escape, only to be nearly killed by one? Who was fighting by your side at the battle of Bywater? Who was there-"  
  
"Who was there when you were nearly killed by the Witch-King? Who ensured that you got to the House of the Healing? Me. We've been there for each other, Merry. We're more than friends- we're family. Cousins. No bond could be greater. I only ask that you understand. I never meant for it to even be concealed. It's just.... Frodo came in like...." He motioned towards his friend. "It just happened. Please, understand."  
  
"But I don't understand," Merry whispered. He stood and strode to the door, resting his hand on Frodo for a moment before continuing. Grabbing his jacket and his pipe, he exited Bag-End. 


	42. Two Down

Ch. 42  
  
Pippin remained sitting in the same place for several moments. At the sound of the slamming door, all other activities ceased. Sam, Rosie, Aragorn, and Arwen became silent, and, not finding anyone at the door to stare at, they instead gawked at Pippin. Tarien and Legolas poked their heads out of their door, wiping sleep from their eyes. They followed the gaze of the others and questioned Pippin with their eyes. Galadriel and Elrond's hostility ceased, and the two elves moved towards Pippin.  
  
Legolas and Tarien moved over to where the other couples sat. That whole group began to murmur. Pippin's eyes welled up with silent tears, so in shock he hardly breathed. A solitary tear fell into his furry foot.  
  
He'd not heard Gandalf approach, and, even after seeing the white cloak, it did not register that his fellow wizard stood before him.  
  
Gandalf looked around, his brow furrowing and his mouth frowning. He spanned the room, and, after a moment, his eyes grew wide and he shouted, "He's left. We cannot let anyone out on their own. Aragorn, are you well?" Aragorn nodded, and Gandalf continued. "Legolas, Gimli, your swords, hurry! Pippin, your sword and your staff! I'll need your help."  
  
Legolas and Aragorn kissed their brides and made for the kitchen, where they'd lain their swords. By the time they'd made it to the doorway, Gimli had his axe on his back and was ready to go. The others joined him at the door.  
  
Sam kissed Rosie and made to get his sword. Gandalf extended his staff out to stop him.  
  
"I'm coming," Sam asserted.  
  
"No, Sam, you are not well, enough, and you are needed here."  
  
"Pippin's going!" he shouted. "I want to come! I can help! Pippin is-"  
  
"Pippin is a wizard," the old wizard said, closing the argument.  
  
Pippin had yet to move. The argument with his best friend had not left his mind. The words wouldn't leave him. It's just good to know you're against me..... How could Merry think that? They'd been friends since before he could remember.  
  
His staff was forced into his hand by Gandalf. Pippin shook his head, clearing his mind, and walked over to the door, where Sting still lay. He strapped the belt around his waist. Not looking at the others waiting for him to venture into the night first, he stepped into the darkness.  
  
The sky was black above him, fading to blue, then a lovely fuchsia resting on the horizon, gracing a pale, daffodil colored moon in the West. Pippin felt a hand on his shoulder. Gandalf handed to him a small pale green stone, much like his own white one, which he proceeded to place in the crook of his staff. Pippin had seen Gandalf use a stone such as this on another occasion- in Moria, from their entry, until the battle with the Balrog. Pippin followed Gandalf's example, placing the one he'd been given into his own staff. A light shone from Gandalf's staff. Pippin's stayed dark.  
  
"Gandalf?"  
  
Gandalf said, "Wave your hand, and command it to light."  
  
Pippin waved his hand over the thing, thinking, Light up! Then, however, his thought turned to Too bright! Too bright!, because the thing had shone with a light bright enough to blind him.  
  
Hobbit footprints ran towards to side, where the horses were being kept. Hoping to find Merry perhaps feeding them or something, they were unpleasantly shocked. Bill the Pony was nowhere to be seen- and his footprints ran into the grass.  
  
"The woods!" shouted Aragorn. He was pointing at Bindbole wood- or what you could see of it. It was a good fifteen miles north, and would take until the early hours of the morning by foot. They'd never catch Merry.  
  
Pippin took a few steps out towards the forest, trying to get a better view. All that was visible was a great green shape, barely visible. Shuffling noises sounded behind him, and glanced around. No one was there.  
  
"Gandalf?" he called. "Aragorn? Gimli? Lego-Oof!"  
  
He suddenly felt himself lifted into the air and had to hold tight to his staff to keep from dropping it. White hair was flying in his face, and he knew he must have been between Gandalf and Shadowfax's mane. Aragorn was on his horse, to their left. Flanking his other side was Legolas and Gimli, atop Legolas's horse.  
  
After a half hour, they were very near the woods, when a great screeching noise reached their ears. Pippin opened his mouth in a silent scream, holding tight to his ears. He felt Shadowfax begin to slow, and opened his eyes.  
  
Legolas and Gimli had been thrown from their horse, which sped off towards Bag-End. Aragorn stopped to get them onto his horse. Gimli stood, rubbed hi wrist, and climbed on. Legolas was another story.  
  
Lying in one place, not moving, Legolas was terrifying Pippin. In the horror, no one had noticed the ceasing of the noise. Aragorn moved closer to the Elf, who remained still. Aragorn laid his hand upon Legolas, who promptly convulsed. Everyone jumped back. Legolas began retching and clutching his leg. Once he was still again, he could be heard whimpering.  
  
Gandalf moved forward. Examining the leg, he spat, "Broken. Gimli, you come with Pippin and I. Aragorn, take Legolas back to Bag-End."  
  
Pippin was the only one who wasn't around the injured Elf. He was staring South; he'd heard a strange noise, and could not see far, even with the stone. The sound, however, quickly registered as familiar.  
  
"Barrow-Wight!" Pippin shouted. "You can't go back that way! Quickly, to the woods!"  
  
Taking off at full speed, the woods were before them within minutes. The Wight still behind them, they took off into the forest, Legolas in Aragorn's arms.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
Gimli fell, and Pippin heard him mumbling. "Stupid forest, tree roots sticking up everywhere, I'll pull this.....no," he gasped.  
  
Pippin turned around, and began screaming and crying. "Let the thing come, I don't care!" He laid his head down and cried upon Merry's bloodied body.  
  
Gandalf walked over, and leaned down. Looking at the cuts that marked the body, he pulled up the sleeve of Merry's shirt. Elvish symbols were there, and Gandalf read them aloud:  
  
"Elle ero nae nerte, sii' otso erin."  
  
His eyes grew wide as he turned to the others, translating. "'There once were nine, now seven remain.'"  
  
A moment passed as this statement sank in. Pippin's head shot up. Aragorn, still holding Legolas, spun and walked over. Legolas grew quiet, his whimpering stopping. Gimli gasped.  
  
"It is as I feared," Gandalf said. "This foe knows us." 


End file.
